Published 10:00 pm, Monday, August 6, 2007

The MVP candidate is expected to play in Saturday's home game against Washington.

Seattle (14-15), fourth in the Western Conference, plays the league's worst team, Minnesota (7-22), on Tuesday and the best team, Detroit (22-6), on Thursday. The Storm is 4-12 all-time without Jackson, who missed a game two months ago with an undisclosed illness.

Jackson (23.8 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 2.0 bpg), the WNBA's top scorer, rebounder and shot-blocker, is also first in double-doubles (16) and second in field-goal percentage (.531).

She's having one of the greatest seasons in league history. Jackson tied the single-game scoring mark with 47 points July 24 in Washington and has tied the single-season record with eight games of 30 or more points.

But the rigors of Seattle's brutal July schedule have caught up with the 2003 MVP, as Jackson started developing swelling in her right knee a month ago and suffered a pulled left groin Friday.

Now, she's facing a similar situation as in 2004, when she left the team after the Olympics to be with her other grandmother back home.

Jackson, who also was on the injured list with a foot injury at the time, helped Seattle clinch a playoff berth upon her return. Her grandmother died the night before the playoffs began. Jackson still led Seattle to its first playoff win ever.

The Storm said Monday that Burse, who will undergo surgery to repair damaged ligaments in her wrist next Tuesday, would be re-examined on Friday -- thus leaving the door open for her to play one more game in 2007 on Saturday. Donovan all but shut that door later in the day.

"I don't expect her to be back," said Donovan, who confirmed that Seattle will sign a post player Tuesday morning.

"The back-to-back games put her (pain level) over the edge."

Burse will have a recovery time of four to six weeks. Then she'll undergo surgery on her left shoulder to repair a partially torn labrum, although Burse has been vague about when that will be.